Upscaling adaptation solutions for vulnerable mountain regions through international cooperation

(Video) Following a teaser showcase of the “Last Glaciers” documentary and inspirational talk by the documentary's director, this event featured a series of talks and panel discussion exploring what is being done to support and upscale adaptation in mountainous regions internationally.

Multiple Authors

October 26, 2021
2 min read
Event: 09/11/2021 - 16:00 (UTC +01:00) - 17:00 (UTC +01:00)

Event recording: Upscaling adaptation solutions for vulnerable mountain regions through international cooperation

Exploring activities, needs, gaps and enabling factors

The impacts of climate change are already being felt by mountain communities, and these impacts are accelerating. For example, numerous high mountain areas are already past so called ‘peak water’ due to the loss of water resources through glacial melt. The new State of the Cryosphere Report (2021) indicates that mountains, and the people that they support – including more than a ¼ of humanity in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region alone – are already experiencing irreversible changes.

This session welcomed a panel of expert speakers to describe what is being done on adaptation in mountains, what remains to be done, how funding is being prioritised to support these efforts, and how adaptation solutions for vulnerable mountain regions can be upscaled.Presentations focused on the potential barriers to uptake as well as the possible enablers to applying solutions to adapt to climate change in mountain regions.

To set the scene for this discussion, the session also showcased the teaser for the documentary “The Last Glaciers”, which passionately captures the relationship between climate change, mountain environments, and glaciers.

This event is one of a series of events focused on the cryosphere during COP26 by the Geneva Cryosphere Hub and the Cryosphere Pavilion at COP26. The video recording of this session is provided above. Presentations given during the session can be found below.

Speakers

Craig Leeson, Director of The Last Glaciers environmental documentary and founder of Leeson Media International, Leeson Global Media and Ocean Vista Films: Craig Leeson is the narrator/director/writer of the award-winning documentary feature “A Plastic Ocean” (2017) and the producer/director/writer/narrator of the new IMAX adventure feature “The Last Glaciers” (set for release March 22).
Dr. Daniel Kull, World Bank:Daniel Kull is a Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist with the World Bank’s Global Practice for Urban, Resilience and Land, leading projects to strengthen disaster risk management in Europe and Central Asia.
Dr. Simon Allen, University of Geneva:Simon Allen is a senior Research Associate at the Universities of Geneva, Switzerland, where his research focuses on climate impacts and disaster risk, particularly in mountain regions, including the Andes, South and central Asia, and Tibet.
Sabine McCallum, United Nations Environment Programme:Sabine McCallum is a Senior Strategic Advisor and Climate Change Consultant to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Her current work focusses on adaptation practices and policy integration in various mountain regions, including the Carpathians, South Caucasus, East Africa, Central Asia and Western Balkans.
Dr. Graham McDowell, University of Zurich and University of Calgary:Graham McDowell is a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Zurich, as well as the Project Leader for the Canadian Mountain Assessment. His research focuses on human vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in high mountain areas, with a specialization in lived experiences of changes in glacial hydrology.
This session was moderated by Dr. Julia Barrott.